Four's A Crowd
by Helo34
Summary: A bounty hunter gets caught up in Sith intrigue after a hard night of drinking. Cast of characters: Mar'set Sahaal: A bounty hunter of the Imperial House Sahaal; Human female Thanic: A Sith warrior; Human male Lon-lee: An Assassin; Human female Keelena: A Twi'lek female A Sahaal Legacy story set in The Old Republic universe
1. Chapter 1

**I**

_Nar Shaddaa _Mar'set

Mar'set woke up feeling like crap. She rolled over and groaned, willing her head to stop hurting. When that failed she stumbled to the fresher and drank cold water out of a sink. Now slightly more awake she tried to remember what had happened the night before. She gently patted herself down, checking for injuries. Not finding any she mentally crossed that off her list, along with catching a cold. It was the wrong season and she didn't have a cough, which left drinking too much. She groaned again and stumbled back to her bed, noticing for the first time a Twi'lek on the next bunk over. Memories of last night slowly came back to her. She remembered being on the promenade and bumping into a woman, Loni, Lonly, or something. And competing with that woman for a man' s attention. Taric, she thought. She remembered drinking. A lot. Then the Twi'lek Kalina taking them all back to Mar'set's place. And more.

She groaned again as the rest of the night came back to her. Quietly she dressed and left the room, trying not to disturb the Twi'lek woman still sleeping. Mar'set came downstairs to look for the other two people she remembered coming home with and stopped by a security console on the wall. Sure enough, the logs showed that two people had left in the early hours of the morning after one of them had received a call. Mar'set frowns at the names in the security log. Lon-lee. Thanic. Keelena. Thanic and Lon-lee left on a taxi. Their destination was unknown and the call's encryption too difficult to break. She exits out of the security panel and walks over to an intelligence database in the temporary command center. Going back three months she tracked any record of Thanic, Keelena, or Lon-lee. Keelena was a resident of Nar Shaddaa. Lon-lee arrived a month ago on a passenger ship. And Thanic had a ship registered to him in the spaceport. That left this morning. Imperial military business, no stated destination. Mar'set sighs and logs out of the console, then heads out for some food. She leaves instructions for the Keelena to be taken home when she wakes up.

Mar'set grabs breakfast at the same cantina that they were drinking in the night before and mulls over her options. The call must have been important to wake Thanic up, and both of them had been acting shifty that evening. Despite not being her problem, Mar'set couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She spent the morning getting food to restock her ship, then headed to an Imperial Intelligence outpost in a bad part of town. Mar'set had done some work for them a few weeks before and was owed a favor. Her hunch paid off when she found a partial military roster that showed Thanic assigned to Balmorra. She called her crew and told them to meet her at the spaceport. Her father had always told her to trust her instincts, so Mar'set also put a unit of House troops on standby before she left.


	2. Chapter 2

**II**

_Sobrik City, Balmorra _Mar'set and Thanic

Mar'set tries Thanic's comm link when she lands, then curses when he doesn't answer. She goes to the Imperial Intelligence command post in Sobrik and tracks Thanic and Lon-lee's comms to somewhere on the Sundari Flatlands, but the intercepts are several days old. Mar'set flies out to an Imperial outpost on the Flatlands to check their communications records, hoping to narrow her search.

Meanwhile, Thanic wakes up bound in a corner. His gear and weapons were removed, and Lon-lee is nowhere to be found. Thanic is in a small, dark room with one door across form him. When he sits still he can occasionally hear someone moving on the other side of the door. Thanic starts heckling his captors, trying to get a response. Even though he knows Maryck is an honorable man, he's stressed that the grunts won't hold up their end of the bargain and bring Lon home safely.

Frustrated with the comm techs, Mar'set goes out onto the Flatlands, searching for her friends. She stumbles onto a crashed Republic crew and interrogates their officer, finding nothing out. Tiger, her backup, picks up some transmissions over the next hill and they go to check it out. They discover a small complex guarded by Republic troops and blast their way into each building.

Thanic manages to wiggle out of his bonds and knocks a distracted Jedi padawan unconscious, then steals their saber and meets Mar'set outside the second building. Thanic glances to the sky, looking at the sun's angle. "Just on time." he manages. Mar'set smiles. "Well met". Thanic raises an eyebrow. "You... how? What?" Mar'set grins. "Thank Imperial Intelligence, they got me close enough. Where is Lon?". Thanic sighs, rubbing sweat from his head. "I told her to run when we found the complex. The troopers captured us. I made a deal with Vos that if his men freed her I'd go willingly. Wherever she is, she's safe. Even with me escaping Vos isn't the type to take out his irritation on an innocent." Mar'set frowns. "Okay, maybe you should start from the beginning." Thanic pushes back his hair, trying to focus. "The morning after, I woke up and got ready to come out here to the front lines where I'm supposed to be. Lon insisted on following me and we found the Republic's secret invasion force already landing troops. I told her to run and warn the soldiers but she stayed, then we got cornered trying to sabotage their weaponry."

Mar'set sighs. "First we need to get you out of here, then we can think about dealing with the invasion. You're in no state to fight them right now. Where did they take your gear?" Thanic shrugs. "I don't know, truthfully it doesn't matter. I have replacements in storage. This saber's grip is a little light but it'll carry us through. I've made do with less." Mar nods. "Follow me and keep your head down. There's an Imperial camp not far from here." Thanic grunts. "Let them see." Mar sighs. "I'm trying to keep your head from getting shot off, you nerf hearder!" Thanic angles his back to Mar'set. "Like I said, made do with less. We need to get off of here before they blockade the planet and we're stuck. Lead the way, I'll follow." Mar'set, Tiger, and Thanic fight their way through the Republic lines, jogging all the way back to the Sundari Imperial Outpost. Mar'set stops to catch her breath, then points to the medical station. "Get checked out, please. I don't want that little adventure to have been for nothing."

Thanic glances down at himself. "Vos isn't a big fan of prisoner torture thankfully, but I'll do it if it'll help you." He spread out his arms for the medical droid to scan. While she waited, Mar admires his back muscles and was a little grateful that the troopers had taken his shirt with the rest of his gear. "Good as I'm getting." he said. Thanic shudders when the wind hits. "Cold morning. What's the next move?" Mar'set narrows her eyes. "Let's get you inside and dressed, then I need to hear about this invasion." They walk over to a large tent nearby.

While Thanic gets dressed Mar pulls off her armor and packs it away. She puts on her leather jacket, then helps Tiger out of her armor. Thanic stretches. "It's a little tight across the chest." he complains about his new shirt. "Long story short, the Republic's already begun landing operations all over the planet, led by the same man who borderline single handedly reversed our last invasion." Mar'set nods at her assistant, who walks away and starts talking on her comm link. Mar'set turns back to Thanic "Can our existing emplacements hold out for a few weeks?" Thanic nods. "They can. It's not the invasion I'm worried about though honestly. War is war. I'm worried about what Lon wrought following me out here, and what you've wrought coming after us." Mar crosses her arms. "Such as?" "My life is a horrible convergence of different forces. Darth Cosyma will be looking for me to help her draw in her sister. Her sister is Vos' first padawan and closest friend. The man that commands my branch of the war effort is Vos' worst enemy. He also hates Cosyma and is using me to get rid of her too. And in the midst of it all is me, trying to achieve my own goals, and I feel as if I dragged you into it." Thanic leans forward on the table. "Long story short, that is." Mar'set laughs. "Why do you think I became a hunter?" Thanic shrugs. "I...I suppose I'm just cursing myself at this point. A million what ifs I can't afford to think about. Lon will turn up unless she did something stupid like attack them." Mar'set leans over the table and grabs his hand. "You're going back out there, and I'm going with you. We'll find Lon again. We'll get reinforcements moving; they'll catch up when they can." Thanic breathes deep. "She'd be off planet by now- the deal was to take her home. We can either stay and get trapped by the blockade or get out and figure out everything else. The choice is up to you." Mar'set nods and releases his hand. "We'll regroup on Nar Shaddaa. Tiger, get Specter company moving. They'll need to make a hard drop before the blockade is set up."


	3. Chapter 3

**III**

_House Sahaal HQ, Nar Shaddaa _Mar'set and Thanic

Mar'set and Thanic step off of the speeder together and she leads him to the War Room. "This really is a rather nice place" Thanic comments. Mar'set smiles. "Thanks. The renovations are almost finished. This is the War Room, where we plan our operations. The room next door that we passed on the way in is the Ops Center. We keep track of current operations and gather intelligence for new ones. We even have a little cafe set up on the other end of the hall." Thanic grins, bowing his head. "The lodging is appreciated. I'll be out from under you soon, I promise." Mar'set gives him a sly grin "I certainly hope not. I like you there." " I suppose an apology is in order, I did intend on leaving without a word, and I'm sorry. I'm poor at goodbyes. Actually, I'm poor at human interaction for the most part." Mar'set crosses her arms and glares at Thanic. "That's not really an excuse. I understand if duty calls, but intending to leave like that hurts."

Thanic shrugs. "I know." His collected demeanor fades, even his speaking voice changes to something less stuffy. I'm sorry. I wanted you all to be safe, letting myself slip into normalcy was just a mistake. If it'd been anyone but Vos to capture us, Lon might have been killed. It's that sort of thing I wanted to avoid." Mar'set gives him a cocky smile. "And if I'd been there you wouldn't have been captured in the first place." Her expression softens. "You need to trust us, we can take care of ourselves. Sith or not it's a rough galaxy out there. You Sith just go around knocking heads. Us mortals have to rely on teamwork, ingenuity, and resources. But given a chance we can surprise you."

Thanic leans against the table, pushing back his hair. "The worst mistake the Sith do is underestimate their own resources. Either way, you risked a lot coming after us, and I appreciate it. I assume you knew Lon prior to?" Mar'set smiles. "Damn straight I did." Her smile fades. "I met Lon right before we came to the cantina. It was her idea to get some guy drunk and take his credits." She stares into her hands. "I don't think this all went they way she intended." Thanic laughs. "Good thing you didn't try that, you might not have hands to look down into." He regains his composure. "She's safe. You have my word, the worst threat to her right now is herself." Mar'set chuckles. "I still can't believe I let a stranger get me drunk. I'm not much of a hunter." Thanic shrugs. "We were all coerced into a debaucherous orgy. I think we're beyond the point of shame." Mar'set raises an eyebrow at Thanic. "I don't seem to remember you needing much coercion." Her face darkens. "Especially with Keelena all over you." Thanic crosses his arms, smirking. "You're an ex-slave, you walk into a room full of scantily clad beautiful women. What's your first decision? You charge in like a wild tu'kata. Speaking of, is she still passed out or has she just moved on? I'd hate to think we dragged her into the war too. You know why I paid her special attention?" Mar'set shakes her head. Thanic spreads his hands. "She's a slave. See, those head tails Twi'leks have? They hold racial memory. It's not like she can just say 'To hell with it, I want to be free' like human slaves can. Generations upon generations of her people before her have been slaves. Speaking quite truthfully, she knows no better, and it's difficult to show her better because of those damned head tails." Mar'set shrugs. "I guess. And no, she was shown out when she awoke the next morning. I would have done it myself, but I was already off looking for you guys. My people dropped her off at her place and I haven't heard anything since. We'll keep an eye on her for awhile in case she needs anything."

Thanic nods, rubbing his chin. "I suppose that's a good thing. I doubt she'll want any part in whatever this adventure is going to end up entailing." Mar'set nods. "We need a plan. Let the Imperial army deal with Balmorra and work around the edges, or dive right in?" "I put credits on work around the edges. This chaos is the perfect chance for me to slip from the fray. The Moff and Cosyma both will be reeling from Vos' strike. I know how incredibly selfish all this me-me-me sounds, I'm sorry. If we're still insisting we should stay on the edges jointly. Balmorra would be an easy way to foxhole to an early death." Mar'set laughs. "Don't take the easy route on my account. I'll keep up." "If we're going to do this together, as a group, we'll leave the fight to the soldiers. There's a time to advance, and there's a time to step back." Mar'set nods. "So what's next?" Thanic leans back in his chair. "Relax I suppose, wait for Lon to return. Things'll pick up soon enough, a blind man can sense as much. What were you doing that night anyway?"

Mar'set tilts her head. "The night we met?" Thanic nods, flinging back his hood. "I was grocery shopping, if you can believe it. We had just landed on Nar Shaddaa and I needed to replenish my ship's pantry before we went after our targets." Thanic grins. "Grocery shopping? How'd you end up at a cantina?" Mar'set smiles. "I ran into Lon on the way to the store. Or rather, she bumped into me. We started talking and she convinced me to go drinking with her." "And you were going to get someone drunk and then steal their money?" he asked. Mar'set looks sheepish. "We were, yes. It was her idea." "What stopped you from trying to steal mine?" Thanic asked. "We got distracted by a friendly competition." She answered. Thanic crosses his arms, listening intently. "We started flirting with you. And considering that we both ended up in bed with you I'd call it a tie." Thanic nods. "Granted. Insane how things turn out when you put it all into perspective, huh?" Mar'set smiles and nods.

"You run into a lot of Sith on your travels?" Thanic asks. Mar'set smiles again. "You could say that. Mum's a Sith, and a fairly well connected one at that." She spreads her arms out. "This is the headquarters for our family's operations." Thanic nods. "That's certainly an interesting line to come from. You didn't just get hit with the Force stick?" Mar'set has a flash of apprehension on her face, then it's gone. "No." Thanic studies Mar'set before letting it be. "What does your mother do?" Mar'set shrugs. "The same thing we all do. Serve at the pleasure of our Empire." "And your father?" he asks. "Imperial Intelligence. They fought together on Balmorra before the truce." she replies. "So a spy and a Sith. Dinner must be an interesting affair?" Mar'set laughs. "They've been working together for twenty years now. Somehow it all works." Thanic reaches to his burned jaw. "Must be nice." Mar'set frowns. "Come on, I'll show you to the infirmary. You look like you could use some rest too, the barracks is upstairs." Thanic shrugs. "Oh, no need to worry. I enjoy just sitting down, these burns are years old miss. A reminder I guess." Mar'set reaches across the table and puts a hand on his burn. Thanic edges away, his muscles tensing. "It really is nothing. Can you tell me more about your family?" She pulls her hand back. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Thanic shakes his head, glancing away in shame. "It's fine, it's really not your fault. If anything it's mine." Mar puts her hands back into her lap. "You don't have anything to be ashamed of, I was too forward. Nor should you be ashamed of your scars." Thanic sighs. "There's no way you could've known, I suppose." He glances up. "You know those times you're a second too slow?" She winks at him. "Hot shot bounty hunter, remember?" She laughs. "I know the feeling." Thanic points at the burns. "All that was. Just boiled down to being a second too slow." Mar'set felt his pain for a moment. "If I may, what happened?" "A duel of sorts. The man fired off a storm from his hands, and I just wasn't fast enough." Mar frowned. "I'm sorry." Thanic laughs a little more bitterly than he means to. "Be sorry for him, that was the real tragedy of the day." Mar'set nods. Thanic takes another gulp of drink. "What else do you have on your family? Are they married or is it just a civil union?"

Mar'set smiles, thinking of her family. "My parents got married shortly after they met. And I should probably mention that I'm actually adopted. Their real daughter was Force strong, but not strong enough to survive the Academy. From what I hear she was amazing with medicine." Thanic raises the bottle. "I salute her. No shame in being adopted, I was too." Mar'set continued. "My sister Rhovin was also adopted, she's the family scoundrel. She rescued a Twi'lek slave and brought her to Mum, who discovered that she was a pretty strong Force user. Now Atirgewu lives with me in Kaas City. Da is probably still off training Mum's troops somewhere." Thanic nods. "Family's important." "They are. Even though we don't see each other much we're still close." "That's something special. Most Imperial families aren't based on love and happiness, they're..." He trails off. Thanic sighs, glancing out the window. "Hell of a view you've got." Mar'set smiles. "It's a nice side effect of picking a very defensible but otherwise lonely floating compound." "You don't get a lot of visits? Just people coming over to see you?" She laughs. "Not even that. It's all business, all the time here. And I travel too much to hang out with anyone." Thanic frowns. "I know I may have no room to talk, and it'll sound hypocritical, but you have to take a break some time. Blasting is only one of your talents surely, and there hasn't been a moment I've been at this table I've been bored."

Mar'set grins. "So what are my other talents?"Thanic shrugs, his eyes darting in thought. "Interesting conversation, wonderful company, the list is probably vast!" Mar'set blushes a little. "So there, that's my two credits on the matter." Mar'set mock salutes Thanic with her fingers. "Is there anything else you can tell me about your parents?" he asks. "Like what? We're loyal to the Empire but believe that it has lost its way. We spend too much time infighting and oppressing. It's no wonder the Republic caught us unaware on Balmorra." Thanic nods in agreement. "And slaving. Just little things about them. Like did you ever all just do something together?" Mar'set shook her head. "One or both of them were usually busy with the war. Once the Treaty of Corescant was declared they became obsessed with making the family holdings stronger so their children would be safe when the war broke out again. Kind of ironic, since we're all involved in it anyways. Mal and Atti went into Intelligence, Mum went back to the front lines, and I hunt. Rhovin does her share of fighting just trying to make a living." Thanic frowns. "Oh. That's rather sad, isn't it." Mar shrugged. "What can you expect, growing up with their stories and knowing what was waiting out there. We got involved to make a difference, same as our parents." "At least you were well aware they cared for you. They saw what was coming inevitably and looked to make you safer." Thanic observed. "Yes, they did." Mar'set replied.

Thanic puts down the bottle, looking disgusted with himself. "I suppose I owe you another of this." Mar'set waves away his offer. "Don't worry about it, we have plenty of thinking wine. Maybe later I'll show you the good stuff." She smiles. Thanic smiles back. "I'd like that. And I'm sorry, about the whole burns thing." Mar'set waves her hand and smiles. "Already forgotten." "And... thank you. For humoring all my questions about your family. I held my family dear and close, and I guess I just miss them." Mar'set nods. "I would like to hear about them sometime." Thanic pauses. "Maybe some time." He shakes the almost empty bottle. "With a little more wine." He teases. Mar'set grins back. "Definitely."

Thanic stands and checks his belt absentmindedly for his saber. "Well, I've taken up far too much of your time. I should probably go scrabble together a new weapon before I regret it." Mar'set stands, pointing behind her. "Check those boxes behind me. We usually keep a variety of weapons on hand. Might be some armor in the locker on your left too." Thanic glances around, lifting up an exquisite saber hilt. "Your mother certainly spares no expense." Mar'set smiles. "War is our business. Why not invest in some quality tools?" "I appreciate the offer, truly. These are magnificent. But as Jedi as it may seem... I think I might create my own this time. And not with some synthesized brick for a focusing crystal, something natural." Mar'set nods. "I can understand that." Thanic looks at Mar'set like someone would at a family gem. "The time for inheritance is over. Do pass my compliments to your mother if and when you see her." Mar'set bows her head at Thanic. "I will. I have some operations to check up on. See you later?" Thanic weighs the other hilts in his hands, testing grips. "I think you will. I'll be keeping an eye out for Lon, maybe put in a call to Maryck to see if she rose any hell." Mar'set nods. "All comm traffic is routed through a series of networks, so no one can trace your location. Just... please don't tell anyone where you are." Thanic smirks. "Broadcast my location to one of the most competent men in the Republic. Can you imagine the bill you'd have to be paying?" Mar'set laughs. Thanic continues."I won't take the chance. I'll probably send it off in some alley. His tech group is mean." Mar'set nods and walks off to the Ops center.


	4. Chapter 4

**IV**

_Spaceport, Nar Shaddaa _Mar'set, Thanic, Lon-Lee

Mar'set is sitting on a bench in the spaceport terminal, bored out of her mind. Thanic walks over and looks at the arrival board. "How late is the Hutta shuttle?" Mar'set asks him. Thanic searches the board for a minute before replying. "It says TBA." "Great" She grumbles. "Wouldn't it be easier to talke your own ship?" Thanic asks. "I'm waiting for someone." She replies. Thanic nods. "Ah, that makes much more sense." Mar'set continues. " 'Course, if it's that late I might as well have Tiger watch the cams." Thanic rubs his chin, shrugging the thought away. He sits next to Mar and unlocks his respirator on his mask, pulling it away with a hiss. Mar'set raises an eyebrow. "Sure that's a good idea here? It's not exactly a secured area." Thanic shrugs. "I want fresh air. Besides, there's a routine to it." "Fair enough" Mar'set responds. Thanic adjusts the pressure settings on his armor. "So who are you waiting for?" Mar shrugs. "A mark. Some guy pissed off a Hutt and fled. I thought I'd pop them when they stepped off and send 'em back." Thanic laughs. "Poor bastard." Mar'set shrugs. "Not really." She leans over and whispers something about Jorga's accountant. Thanic raises an eyebrow. "Huh." "Yeh, ballsy." Mar'set replies. "I guess you have to be in that line of work" he says. Mar'set nods.

"Bah. I'd be better off tracking him to the Duros sector after he eventually lands." Mar'set grumbles. Thanic shrugs. "Maybe the Mandos did your work for you in transit?" Mar looks angry. "And steal my collar? They better not." Thanic shrugs again. "TBA on a ship arrival either means a Fleet action blocking the transit, tragedy on board, or pirates. If they'd given a time I'd be more hopeful, but alas." Mar'set stands and stretches. "No point in waiting around then." Thanic rubs the bridge of his nose. How long you been here?" Mar'set pulls her left sleeve back and looks at her watch. "Hour and a half." Thanic wipes a thin veneer of dirt off of his visor. "That's not too bad." Mar'set looks around, then does a double take when she spots Lon-lee. "You're back!" she exclaims. Thanic launches up to his feet, his mask hurtling from his lap. Lon-lee smiles. "Well, this is a warm welcome." "I thought the Republic still had you?" Mar'set asked. Thanic checked Lon-lee over for injuries, satisfied when he found none. "Did you really think a few Reps could hold me down?" Lon-lee asked with a smile. Mar'set snickers and points to Thanic. "They held him down just fine." Thanic ignores her. "Vos and I made a deal that if he got you home safe I'd turn myself over." Lon-lee looks worried. "Follow me" she says mysteriously. Mar'set just nods. Thanic pulls his mask on and clasps it. Lon-lee leads the way to her ship and the three of them board. They launch.

Mar-set starts wandering around in awe of Lon-lee's high tech ship. "Boots off!" Lon-lee yells, startling Mar'set. "Huh?" She looks at her feet. "Oh. Sorry" she says as she pulls off her boots. Mar'set walks over to some jump seats and sits down. Lon-lee frowns as Thanic comes in, still wearing his boots. "Thanic. Boots." Thanic stops, kicks them off, and keeps walking. Lon-lee takes a seat across from Mar'set. "So what's going on? You seemed in a hurry to leave" Mar'set asked Lon-lee. Lon-lee looks at Mar'set, them whispers so Thanic can't hear. "Vos did not keep his deal. He sent two assassins to kill me and you, and take Thanic." Mar'set sits up straighter. "Oh."

Thanic wanders by and takes a seat. "Oh, hey Thanic." Lon-lee says. Thanic tosses his overcoat beside him and stretches out. "You two look stressed." Lon-lee shifts. "It's nothing." Mar-set just mumbles under her breath. Thanic glances between the two of them. "Are we being honest here?" Lon-lee looks upset. "No, but then again, when are assassins and bounty hunters ever honest?" She gets up and walks to her room. Thanic crosses his arms. "I think they need to start." Mar'set sighs. "She thinks Vos tried to kill her. And me, apparently." Thanic rubs his chin. "I...find that hard to believe Did she say anything else regarding the matter? Names, faces?" Mar'set shakes her head. "Maybe you don't know him as well as you think. Maybe one of his people did it. Maybe it was completely unrelated. You know how shady assassins can be. And no, she didn't have time to say anything else." Thanic nods. "If it was related to him, I know which one of his people would've done it. Still, odds are it's unrelated but ether way, that's not great." Mar'set chuckles. "I have plenty of enemies, but none of them should know either of you. I imagine the same to be true about you and Lon." "The blocking factor with my enemies is that they really don't care about two faces in a crowd. Neither of you are contributing to the war effort, far as they're concerned you don't exist. Hell, they even leave me alone if I stay quiet long enough." Thanic says. Mar'set frowns and crosses her arms. "Great, so no one has a reason to do what they just did." "In all reality, not one single soul unless Lon has something she'd like to tell us." Thanic replied. Thanic rubs the bridge of his nose. "Even if it was worst case, and Maryck attempted to knock someone off because he'd somehow lost all his values, he's still intelligent. Wouldn't waste shadow resources on things that don't even matter, especially in the middle of a high-action war time." Mar'set seems hurt by the not mattering comment. "Well, I don't want to wait until someone takes a shot at me to find out who it is." Mar'set replies. "When they take a shot I'll see their face. After that the mystery is no more. I almost welcome it." Mar'set rolls her eyes. "Are you gonna protect this poor damsel in distress now?" Thanic sighs, rubbing his temples. "I don't know what I'm going to do anymore." Mar'set sighs, feeling guilty for snapping at him. "Let's talk to Lon and see what she knows." Thanic nods, adjusting his belt.


	5. Chapter 5

**V**

_Sahaal HQ, Nar Shaddaa _Mar'set, Lon-lee

_One week later_

Lon-lee waves at Mar'set. Mar'set smiles. "Please, sit. Can I get you anything?" Lon-lee sits down. "No, thank you". Mar'set looks out the window. "I love to sit here and just watch. Things seem so calm from up here." Lon-lee nods and looks out the window. "Yes, nice place to get away." She looks at the ground. "I'm worried about Thanic. What do you think the Republic will do with him?" Mar'set shakes her head sadly. "I don't know. I'm concerned about the assassins you mentioned before though. Could they be from a third player?" Lon-lee looks out the window again. "I'm not sure. One came after me last night. He was skilled, but I don't think he meant to be spotted. If Vos did not send him, who did?" Mar'set grimaces at the increasingly bold attempts on their lives. "Anything on him we can use?" Mar'set asks. Lon-lee hands Mar'set a datapad with information on Lon. "That bad boy has more info about me than Imperial Intelligence." Mar'set looks over the pad. "You're not sloppy with your info, are you?" She asks with a smile.

Mar'set met with Lon-lee again a few weeks later in her apartment in Kaas city.

Mar'set looks around. "Nice place you have." Lon-lee looks into Mar'set's eyes. "Thank you." Mar'set looks at her feet. "Uh, should I take off my boots?" Lon-lee smiles. "Yes." Mar'set slips off her boots and leaves them by the door. Lon-lee waits until she is finished, then leads them upstairs. "How is Thanic? I have not seen him in a long time." Lon-lee asks. Mar'set shakes her head. "I think he's been busy, I haven't seen him either."

Lon-lee nods and changes the topic. "What have you been up to Mar? We have a lot to catch up on." Mar'set follows Lon-lee to a table and waited until they took their seats before replying. Mar'set smiles. "It has been a while hasn't it? I spent some time on Alderaan chasing a bounty." She slips off her glove revealing a ring with a house crest on it. Lon-lee gasps and almost screams. "You got married?" Lon-lee runs over and hugs Mar'set. Mar'set smiles and hugs her back. When they sit back down she continues. "There's a story. See, House Girard had been supporting me during my search for the target. Mostly shelter and supplies, their intelligence network was worthless. Anyways, while I was hunting their heir made a power play and messed things up pretty badly. I saw an opportunity and backed his play when I returned. Naturally, we got married to cement the new alliance between our two houses." Lon-lee looks down. "So you do not love him?" Mar'set shook her head. "This was business. But there's more." Lon-lee looks at her. "Oh?"

Mar'set nods. "Apparently my husband was quite the womanizer. A few weeks later he was tragically killed by a hired assassin. His death left me in charge of House Girard, so I had to appoint a regent in my absence." Lon-lee looks into Mar'set's eyes. "I'm sorry. Your luck, a bounty hunter becoming Baroness." Lon-lee laughs. Mar'set smiles. "I am pretty happy with the way things turned out. My late husband was a playboy that would have bankrupted Girard in a couple of years. Plus I know who the assassin was." She says with a wink. Lon-lee almost laughs. "Do you think you will remarry? This time for love?" Mar'set gives a shy smile. "I'd like to." Lon-lee gives a wry smile. "Thanic is single, very handsome, and I think he has a fancy for you." Mar'set blushes but looks happy at the thought. Lon-lee walks over to Mar'set and puts a hand on her shoulder. "I think it is time to go save your prince." Mar'set looks concerned. "Save him from what?" Lon-lee hands Mar'set a datapad. It showes a holo of him in jail. "Vos has him, he wants me or he will kill Thanic." Mar'set stares at the holo and starts muttering about dismembering Vos. She looks Lon-lee in the eye. "Why you?" Lon-lee sighs. "I took out Hawk One and Two. They were Vos's go-to when he needed info or someone dead. With them gone, he is a fish out of water." Mar'set nods, then stops and crosses her arms.

She stares Lon-lee down. "I keep thinking about how we met, and how convenient it was that we kept in touch and became friends so quickly. How is it that a professional assassin just decides they want to hang out with a random person they bump into?" Lon-lee smiles. "I'm an ex-assassin, and I thought you were a cool person. I only kept in touch after we met Thanic. I never would have remembered your name if it was not for him." Mar'set frowns and looks jealous. "I can't decide if that's better or not." Lon-lee grins. "Don't worry, I'm not going to get in the way of you and Thanic. I'm married myself."

Mar'set stares at Lon-lee with a blank look on her face. "You...? When?" Lon-lee frowns. "I have not seen him in six years. We married on a whim, I was young and I did not make a good choice. We married as a first sign of love. I have not seen him since our first child." Mar'set looks sad. "I'm sorry. What happened? If you don't mind me asking." "He was a Jedi. When he found out I was a part of the Empire... Let's just say it did not work out." Lon-lee replies. "I'm so sorry Lon. You shouldn't let that stop you from being happy." Mar'set says. "You have no idea how many times I've thought about trying to find him." Lon-lee continues. She jumps to her feet. "We have a man to save, we can talk about lost husbands and girl shit when we get back. Thanic needs you, and I think you need him more than he needs you." Mar'set smiles. "That's the spirit. Though he needs me more- he's in a bloody cell." Lon-lee smiles. "Let's go. Head to the ship, I'll meet you there. Need to change." Mar'set hurries downstairs and puts her boots back on, then calls Tiger to meet her at the spaceport. Mar'set flags down a taxi and heads to the spaceport.

Tiger meets Mar'set at the spaceport and hands Mar'set her armor. She quickly puts it on and leads the pair into the hanger, where they meet Lon all geared up. She leads them onto the ship. "Who is this?" Lon-lee asks. Mar'set points to Tiger. "This is Mara Kaonbil, my hunting partner. She goes by Tiger. Mara, this is my friend Lon-lee. She'll be helping us track down Thanic." Tiger nods to Lon-lee. "Nice to meet you Tiger. This is- Where did she go?" Lon-lee looks around, shaking her head. Lon-lee, Mar'set, and Tiger flew to Balmorra to search for Thanic.


	6. Chapter 6

**VI**

_Sundari Flatlands, Balmorra _Mar'set, Lon-lee, Theron, Maryck, Pahl

They split up at the Flatlands, Mar'set and Tiger heading on foot to where they found Thanic previously. Lon-lee took her speeder and went looking for other places to hide a captive Sith. There she meet Theron, a Sith merc. Lon-lee finds him fighting off Republic forces and jumps in to help. After the fighting and introductions were over, Lon-lee led Theron back towards where she left Mar'set and Tiger. They continued searching around for Mar'set and Tiger until they stumbled across a hidden Republic outpost. Mar'set and Tiger were on a hill overlooking the base planning their assault.

"There you are!" Lon-lee shouts. Mar'set jerks her head around and looks at Lon-lee. "We need to be in the arms factory, that's where Vos told me to go. Oh, and this is Theron. He is going to help us." Mar'set gets up and nods to Theorn. "Hello there" Theorn replies. Mar'set nods to Lon-lee, unsure why she is in contact with Vos. Lon looks at Mar'set know she doesn't trust her. "Everything will be made clear soon." Mar'set shrugs and checks her pistol. She sees someone walking along the trail and squints to identify them. Mar'set smiles. "Pahl, what a surprise!" Pahl waves. Lon-lee looks as them. "Who is this?" Pahl looks at Mar'set and smiles back. "Yep. Figured with me being all healed from the last attack, and Thutun in a better condition, I oughta get back to it." Mar'set points to Pahl. "Lon, Theron, this is my friend Pahl." Theorn nods to Pahl. "Nice to meet you." Lon-lee greets Pahl. Pahl waves at them. "Nice to meet you too. Pleasure is mine." Lon motions at them. "Follow me, not sure how much longer Thanic can hold on." The group starts heading towards the old Balmorran Arms Factory.

They fight their way through the Separatist guards and across the factory floor. Climbing a set of stairs they come to a cargo lift. "It's a trap. Vos has a whole army here." Lon-lee says. "So what now?" Theron asks. "Spring the trap" Lon responds. They step onto the lift and ride it to the top. "Wait" Lon-ee says when they step off. "If Vos finds out we are here, this whole thing is blown. We have to kill them real silent like." Theron nods. "Then slipping in quietly works for me." They sneak through the upper level and head to a landing pad near the top, killing guards quietly when they can't be avoided. "All clear" Lon-lee calls. The group searches around but can't find Thanic. Dismayed, they exfiltrate from the factory and regroup in Sobrik. Lon-lee gets a holo call from Vos. The rest of the group is surprised when she answers it without reacting. Vos asks her to meet him on neutral ground. He proposes a Mandolorian settlement on Tatooine for the site.

_Outpost Rennar, Tatooine_

Mar, Lon-lee, Theron, and Tiger meet with Maryck Vos at the outpost. Vos spreads his hands. "Guess you got my message Lon." Lon-lee smirks. "Where is Thanic?" Lon-lee asks. "What did you do with him?" Mar demanded. Vos puts his hands on his hips. "Well, honestly I was hoping you could tell me that." Lon-lee draws her rifle. "Look punk, tell me where he is or I will blow your face off." Theron looks at Lon-lee. "I'm guessing this is the one who's info let us into a trap?" Lon-lee nods. "Yes." "What are we doing? We can take him!" Lon-lee shouts, eager for a fight. Vos glances half-approvingly at the barrel. "Well, at least you keep the thing clean. Let me set some things straight for the record before you start a fight you'll lose. I haven't made any efforts to contact any one of you since Thanic's escape."

"Thanic escaped?" Lon-lee asked. Mar'set nods. "Then who sent me this datapad?" Lon hands Vos a datapad. Vos reviews the datapad for a moment before returning it. "Not mine. I don't sign as General Vos - I sign my Republic serial number. What am I looking at here, anyway?" Maryck asks. Theron answers. "Information that led us into a trap."

"Why would someone pose as me in order to lead three inconsequential people into a trap? Especially when the man in question has all but left the war effort?" Vos asks. "Don't know, but they had troops and Thranta class frigates." Theron replies. Mar'set bites back a response. "Meaning you're ether lying through your teeth, or someone really doesn't like you and wants to frame you" Theron continued. Maryck laughs. "Those Thranta were leftovers from my last invasion force. Ships too beat up to continue as scrap. They're deterrents. Unless another Republic general has taken charge. I'm running Outer Rim efforts now, Balmorra isn't my jurisdiction. Do I look like the type to waste energy on lying?"

"Tell that to her" Theron gestures to Mar'set, who crosses her arms and glares at Vos. Vos sighs. "If you have something to say, miss, I'd love to hear it."

"Say I believe you. Where is he? Who has him? Why would they need to frame you for it?" Mar'set asks him. "Elsewhere, he's no longer in the service of the Moff. I doubt anyone has him. The only way you can capture Thanic is by maiming him or making a deal with him. Being a slave does that to a man. The third question probably has a section in the Sith academy dedicated to it." Vos shrugs. "A Jedi Knight with a knack for battle is a perfect fall guy, isn't it?"

Mar'set shrugs. "When I found him on Balmorra he thought he was waiting for you in order to protect us. Is that true? Did you make a deal with him then?" Vos nods. "I did. It's how I knew Lon's look prior to this meeting. Also how I got a hold of her comm frequency so I could call. I was coming myself to deal with him but as expected he escaped once he knew his part had been done. I mean him no harm. Sith or not, he's a good man. You know that." Mar'set looks at Maryck pleadingly. "Then help me find him, please." Maryck ponders what Mar'set said. "What is your stake in all this?" He asks. "I am... very fond of him" Mar'set appears a little too red for how long they've been out in the sun.

Vos jerks his head to Theorn. "And you, your stake in this?"

"They helped me out of a bad situation on Balmorra. Helping these two felt like the right thing to do." Theron replies. "Coming out here and meeting a Jedi Master was a really dumb, horrific idea. And you all did it anyway."

"That is because Thanic is a very good friend. There are things you do for friends not matter how dumb they are." Lon-lee replies. Vos nods. "I can't argue with that." Mar'set shrugs. "Anyways, it wouldn't be the first time I killed a Jedi." Vos's eyes shimmer at Mar'set and he chokes out "Uhuh?" She shrugs again. Vos winks. "Yeah, I figured as much. Look, what I do know is that Thanic is likely out on his own like he's always been. And the person manipulating you two doesn't actually care about him, he cares about one of you. Our favorite warrior is just a means to an end."

"Jedi are not all they rack themselves up to be. I don't have anything against them, and I'm not here to pick a fight. Although I would have so much fun killing you. Tell me everything we need to know and you can leave with your pretty face." Lon-lee replies. Maryck sighs again. "I'd stop threatening for information, that's a good way to leave a place empty handed. If you want to find Thanic, you don't. You let him find you. So in other words wait until he decides to appear." Mar'set frowns. "Fine, but if you hear from him please let him know I'm worried about him."

Maryck continues. "Basically, men who don't want to be found are typically pretty damn good at hiding. With regards to this whole faux me situation with the traps and the like, that one is all you." Theron nods. "I think we are done here then. Thank you for clearing things up." Maryck bows to Theron. Mar'set nods to Maryck. "Thank you." Maryck nods back. "I hope we never have to meet on the field. You seem like good sorts. Thanic's luck finally one out I guess." Maryck says. "Likewise" Theron replies. Maryck turns to Mar'set. "And also, if you find the man, tell him that there's still a way out." Mar'set looks confused. "Out of what?"

"Out of the mess he's made would be my guess. If we're talking about whoever set up the trap that is." Maryck replies. "More of the mess someone wants him to become. Don't let him become a monster." Mar'set smiles. "I won't." Maryck glances at Lon-lee. "You sure you don't want to take some pot shots before you leave? You've been jittery." Lon-lee smiles. "I always love a good fight. But I don't go looking for ways to die." Maryck shrugs. " I don't intend on striking you. Just figured it might be therapeutic." Mar'set shakes her head and walks away leaving Lon-lee, Theron, and Maryck to their antics.


End file.
